I have a roommate that is claiming to be on day 6 of a 30 day water fast. What is fasting more than a couple of days like? How difficult is it to not eat anything for 30 days? How much weight would you expect to lose? How fast would you see changes in face definition? I intermittently fast often but never more than a day or two. What health benefits would a week long fast offer a prediabetic or type two diabetic over intermittent fasting? Can anyone offer places for me to research myself? Thanks!
Start with Dr Jason Fung books or his long form interviews on YouTube and go from there. I’m currently on day 6 of a 14 day fast and I feel great. Coffee and a bit of lite salt in your water is all you need.
Having completed a 30 day fast myself, I’ll weigh in. The only things I consumed during my fast was water, salt/electrolyte supplements, and black coffee. I lost right at 40 pounds of fat during that time.
I took very little exercise during that time, and would say that it was limited to some extra walks that I incorporated into my weekly routine.
For me the weight melted off because my BMR (just to remain alive) is enough to burn about pound of fat a day, any additional caloric expenditure is gravy.
Some days I would lose 2+lbs and sometimes it would be less than a pound.
The first few days can be extremely difficult for inexperienced fasters. A high carb/sugar diet, hunger hormones, temptations, and eating habits can make the first few days miserable. However if you push through and realize that it’s truly a mental game you’ll quickly find that it’s not hard at all to continue. Past day 4-5 your hunger will pretty much disappear and the only thing that will bug you is what to do with all the time you’re not spending in pursuit of food.
For me long term fasting has never been a very enlightening experience like some people experience. I’ve never felt increased mental clarity or higher energy before, however it is a great learning experience, and it really shows you how much is wrong with the way we eat in our society.
As far as side effects during the fast goes, you’re going to notice some distinct ones once you push past 5 days or so. When your body gets into a deeply fasted state it will start cleaning out old cells and toxins you carry around in your body. This will cause your poops to smell absolutely vile. You’ll also have bad breath all the time due to the detoxification going on in your body. I found that this cleared up after 14-15 days. Your bowel movements will be rare, oily, and smelly in general, (PRO TIP: NEVER TRUST A FART while long term fasting)
That’s all that comes to mind at the moment. Dr. Jason Fung is a great resource if you want more information. He’s got incredible amounts of information on YouTube and I highly recommend him.
If you’ve got any questions PM me, happy to help you out if you want to discuss more.